(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates, in general, to a device useful in facilitating the extraction or removal of a video cassette or the like from a closely fitting storage or protective jacket in which the video cassette is stored while not being used. The invention, in a further aspect, relates to an improved protective storage jacket for a video cassette or the like-shaped member provided with a device enabling easy extraction of the video cassette from the protective jacket.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
It is commonly known that dirt, dust and the like acts to damage blank tapes and to destroy the visual or sound qualities, or both, of the material recorded on the cassette tapes. Such destructive agents, in general, gain access to the tape, audio or video, through the tape access openings in the cassette.
As a result of such destructive agents being common to the environment during the marketing channels for such tapes and in the home after purchase, video tapes are generally sold in a protective jacket providing complete enclosure of the tape except for the front or end opening in the jacket whereby the tape can be removed or extracted from the protective jacket. The blank tapes are, in general, kept by the consumer in these protective jackets until desired to be used for seeing or recording a movie. At such time, if the video tape is new, the plastic film or other wrapper is removed from around the jacket and the blank tape removed therefrom. Subsequent to the recording of the desired movie, for example, the video cassette is then generally placed by the consumer back into the protective jacket. The jacketed movie is then placed, in some cases at least, in a storage device capable of holding several such jacketed cassettes. The video tape remains in the jacket until there is a desire to again view the movie at a later time or to record another movie over it. Pre-recorded movies are, in general, protected in the same manner, i.e., they are sold in protective jackets and enclosed in a film wrapper. The protective jacket in which a video tape cassette is sold provides not only protection against dust, etc., it also serves to protect the tape cassette and tape from being damaged while in the channels of trade. And, it serves a similar purpose after purchase by the consumer.
The protective jacket for a video cassette is constructed, in general, from plastic, or heavy paper coated so as to be printable thereon with various illustrations, designs, text, etc. These jackets, as is common, are mostly of an elongated, rectangular, cubic-shape defining an internal storage cavity and are open at one elongated end, i.e. the front end, so that the tape cassette can be extracted from and placed back into the internal storage compartment, as desired. In some cases, however, either the top or bottom end is the only opening. Thus, in such a case, the video cassette is extracted from the bottom or top end, whichever is the open end, rather than from the front. In any event, the dimensions of the storage cavity are closely that of the tape cassette making removal from the cassette difficult. The back planar surface of the cassette, i.e., the surface opposite from that of the tape access opening in the front of the jacket, to which an identifying label is typically attached, is essentially in the same plane as that defined by the open front of the protective jacket.
Because of the protective jacket's construction and dimensions, relative to those of the video cassette, somewhat of a problem is presented in extracting or removing a cassette from its protective jacket, as it is difficult to grasp the back edge of the cassette with one's fingers in order to extract it from the jacket. As a result of this difficulty, the two elongated edges of the storage jacket at the front open end are, in some cases at least, provided with opposed indentations or cut-outs along their length, to enable one to grasp the back edge of the cassette with one's fingers, aiding withdrawal of the tape cassette from the jacket.
Although the cut-outs provided in a storage jacket enable one to withdraw a particular video cassette from its protective jacket with relative ease, the cut-outs provide no help at all where a predetermined number of such video cassettes are stored in vertical disposition, for example, in their jackets, side-by-side, in a storage device therefor. The next adjacent jackets, in such a case, are in substantial contact with one another, making it most difficult, if not impossible, for one to grasp any particular cassette or jacket with one's fingers so as to be able to remove such a cassette, or the protective jacket containing it, from between the next adjacent protective jackets.
As a result of these difficulties presented in removal of a video cassette from its conventional storage jacket in which purchased, as above-pointed out, others heretofore have addressed this problem. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,339,162 discloses an elongated rectangular-shaped storage box for use in storing video cassettes in upright manner. The storage device or box provided offers, according to the patentee, quick and easy removal of a video cassette from the storage device. The box is of one piece construction with an open front for accessing the storage compartment which is disclosed to be only slightly larger than the normal size video cassette. The storage box is provided with a slidable tray having a tab at the front end which extends outwardly from the front opening of the storage box, and which has a handle portion for easy grasp by the user of the storage device. The slidable tray is provided at the other end with an upwardly extending tongue which engages with the rearmost corner of a cassette. Thus, when the cassette is loaded into the storage device it is located on the slidable tray and that tray slides backwardly into, and to the rear of, the storage box, as the cassette is pushed into the storage compartment. When it is desired to remove the cassette, the tab is gripped by one's fingers and pulled in a direction directly outwardly from the storage box whereby the slidable tray with the cassette located thereon is moved outwardly, clearing the edges of the storage box, at the open front. The cassette can then be readily grasped by one's fingers and removed from the storage box.
Although the construction of the video tape storage device disclosed in the above-mentioned patent may be found to facilitate the removal of a tape cassette from its storage compartment, the use of such is believed attendant with certain disadvantages. The construction of such a storage device for video cassettes, as will be readily appreciated, is relatively complex, compared to that of the rather simply constructed protective jacket which video tape cassettes, whether blank or containing prerecorded movies or the like, are typically sold. Accordingly, it is believed obvious that the cost of such storage devices for video casettes will be substantially greater than that of the conventional rectangular-shaped, open front, protective storage jacket.
Thus, there was a need for a means for storing video cassettes and the like which not only provides good protection to an individual tape against dust, dirt and other damage but also allows simplicity in construction and easy extraction of the video cassette from its storage device, and at reasonable cost. As a result of this, I conceived the invention, and its various aspects, disclosed in application Ser. No. 582,153, earlier mentioned, for easy removal of a video cassette from the protective jacket in which it is originally purchased. Thus, continued use of this protective jacket is made more feasible and results in certain economies to the consumer. Now, I have invented another somewhat more simply constructed device for use in easily removing video cassettes from their closely fitting storage jacket in which the video cassette was purchased.